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I feel Dain tense beside me and I quickly glance at him.
‘You’ve been sending me money all this time.’ Ava suddenly clicks. ‘Did you work all through your pregnancy?’
‘Lukas was a little unexpected.’ Dain steps in and fills the sharpening silence. ‘I’m here to support both him and Talia now.’
The frown in Ava’s eyes doesn’t fade. ‘You think you can get Talia to depend on you? She doesn’t let anyone in.’
Ava blinks and her head swivels towards me. Dain watches me too and I feel as though I’ve let them both down. I’m weak and I go for the distraction he provides.
‘Ava,’ I say gently. ‘Dain’s helping with your fees now.’
‘What?’
‘Have you checked your banking app lately?’ I ask.
Ava winces. ‘Why would I—?’
‘Have a look at it,’ Dain suggests.
Ava passes Lukas back to me and pulls out her phone. Her face goes all blotchy when she opens her app.
‘My accountant will be in touch,’ Dain says quietly. ‘There might be some tax implications, but she’ll manage that for you.’
‘Are you for real?’ Ava looks at Dain and then at me. ‘Is this for real?’ She shakes her head vigorously. ‘I can’t accept this from a stranger. I can’t—’
‘You can accept this from family,’ Dain interrupts firmly. ‘And that’s what we are now. Right, Talia?’
I’ve lost the power of speech. I’m still clamped to his side and he drops a kiss on the top of my head. It brings everything back—the scent of him, the strength of him, the sheer vitality of him that’s so bewitching. I liquefy inside.
Ava’s stunned to silence as well. Yep. Full Dain Anzelotti effect in action.
She looks at me. I feel the heat on my skin and know I’m blushing. I can’t hide my response to him.
‘Consider it a scholarship,’ he says. ‘You’ve accepted those before, right?’
Ava nods but she doesn’t take her eyes off me. I’m trembling inside and I hold Lukas more carefully because I have to direct my energy somewhere.
Dain smiles but both his arms are around me now as if he knows I’m close to spontaneously combusting and he’s literally holding me together.
Ava’s eyes soften. ‘Oh, Talia,’ she whispers. ‘I’m so pleased for you.’
She isn’t talking about the money. What she sees—or what she thinks she sees—is wonderful. It’s what I ache for. And what I don’t have. She believes the lie he’s presenting, only right now it’s truth for me—I’m in thrall to him and I absolutely want to go with him to wherever he chooses...
‘I’m taking Talia and Lukas to Australia.’ Dain’s voice is gravelly.
‘Australia?’
‘Dain has a family home there,’ I explain as Ava’s eyes go huge. I’ve no idea if that’s actually true but I know the impact the idea will have on Ava—the same impact it has on me. ‘It’ll be Lukas’s family home too.’
Ava nods slowly. ‘And yours. A permanent place to stay.’ She sends me a small smile. ‘Finally.’ Ava blinks rapidly and looks down at Lukas. ‘I can’t believe I’m an aunty.’ She breathes in shakily. ‘I’m going to miss him and I barely know him.’
I glance up at Dain. There’s a bleak expression in his eyes that he quickly blinks away when he catches my eye.
‘We’ll send lots of photos. Videos. Calls.’ He turns his attention to Ava and promises.
He never got those. I never sent any—not after that one shot of Lukas as a newborn. I feel terrible. ‘We really need to go now, Ava, I’m sorry. We have to get to the airport. Can’t miss the flight.’
‘Ava’s like you,’ Dain says bluntly as we pull away from the kerb. ‘Bossy, untrusting.’ He sighs. ‘We didn’t get far in the life-story swap yesterday. What happened with your dad?’
